A single-engine plane crash Saturday morning in a Clermont field left the two people on board dead, officials said.

The pilot, Dane Sheahen of Port Orange, and passenger, James Kos of Canute, Okla., were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Both were licensed pilots, police said.

The two-seater aircraft crashed about 8:45 a.m. in a field between South Lake Hospital and a subdivision, landing about 100 yards from nearby homes.

Witness Mark Wells was in his front yard when he heard the plane crash.

"My initial thought was that it was a car passing and backfired," said Wells, who lives just behind the scene of the crash. "I came around [the house] and a neighbor was calling the police."

Two people are dead after an early morning plane crash in Clermont on Saturday, March 12.

Wells ran to the aircraft to see if he could help, but it was too late.

"I get out there and I can see the guy laying out but still in the cockpit," Wells said. "I was going to say 'Are you OK?' but then I got just close enough to see he was gone."

Wells said it wasn't until later that he realized there was a second victim in the plane.

Sheahen and Kos are believed to have died on impact, Clermont police Capt. Michael McMaster said. Medical examiners removed their bodies from the scene about 2 p.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal and Aviation Administration will investigate the crash and determine a cause, City of Clermont spokeswoman Doris Bloodsworth said. Clermont police are assisting in the investigation.

Police said it's unclear where the aircraft was coming from or where it was headed. They also did not know what type of plane it was.

Bloodsworth said the plane was possibly headed west when it crashed.

The plane's propellers appear to be undamaged, though the body and tail of the aircraft were crumpled.

Bloodsworth said officials anticipate staying overnight to secure the scene, as the aircraft likely won't be removed until Sunday.

The field where the plane crashed is near Citrus Tower Boulevard and Oakley Seaver Drive, between a subdivision and South Lake Hospital.

No other people were injured and no buildings were damaged in the crash, officials said.

Wells said he is glad the pilot seemingly attempted not to strike any homes in the neighborhood.

"I'm thankful he sacrificed trying to do the right thing," Wells said. "My thoughts are with him."